RI on par with rich states on drug abuse

RI on par with rich states on drug abuse

JAKARTA (JP): The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB)
has placed Indonesia on the same level as developed countries
such as the United Kingdom, Japan, Mexico and Sweden, when it
comes to drug abuse.

Sirat Atmodjo, one of the board's 13 members, said yesterday
the independent body has just finished a report evaluating drugs-
related crime rates in the 13 member countries. It found, among
other things, a rapid increase in the rate of abuse of Ecstasy, a
stimulant associated with the rave scene.

The current INCB members are the United States, the United
Kingdom, Switzerland, Mexico, Germany, Venezuela, Pakistan,
Thailand, Portugal, Chile, Russia, Egypt and Indonesia.

Ecstasy pills are a mixture of an amphetamine derivative,
caffeine, the hallucinogen LSD and other substances that are not
clearly identifiable.

A new study shows the pill may cause depression and
irreversible brain damage since it dismantles the brain cells
that release the neurotransmitter serotonin, thought to be
involved in the regulation of mood and impulsive behavior.

In a press conference held at the United Nations Information
Center, Sirat blamed the wide publicity of the drug as the reason
why its abuse is on the rise.

The media has not only written reports that associate the drug
with a fashionable lifestyle, but also with recreational
activities, he said.

"The Indonesian media should be more careful in reporting
dangerous pills," he said.

A local agency, however, was more cautious in putting
Indonesia in the same category as developed countries in terms of
drug abuse.

M.D. Tanjung, an official at the inter-departmental agency for
drugs control, known by its Indonesian acronym Bakorlak Inpres,
admitted there has been an increase in the abuse rate but there
are still noticeable differences between Indonesia and developed
countries.

For one, Indonesia is a religious community with a lot of
taboos, he said. "Parents in Western countries allow their
children to have extramarital sex, but here we see it as a
taboo," Tanjung said

For the past five years the Indonesian police and the Attorney
General's Office have handled 12,000 cases related to the abuse
of drugs including Ecstasy.

Tanjung, however, suspected that the actual figure could be
ten times higher.

The government is currently preparing legislation against the
abuse of the psychotropic drugs, which would cover Ecstasy,
Tanjung said.

The narcotics control board was established in 1961 by the
Social and Economic Council of the United Nations. Its
headquarters is in Vienna while members serve in their personal
capacity and not as government representatives. (01)